When is New Year's Day?

Because different countries and religions have different ways of calculating the New Year, their New Year does not begin on the 1st of January and indeed the actual date of New Year can vary from year to year.

The Chinese New Year falls on some point, between January and February. The Buddhist New year varies between March and April and the Jewish New Year is in September or October.

In ancient Egypt and Persia, New Year began on the 21st September or October, at the autumnal equinox, when the day and night were of equal length.

The Greeks celebrated the New Year on the 21st of December, at the winter solstice, when the day was at its shortest.

Julius Caesar altered the Roman New year to the 1st of January but in various European countries including Britain, it continued to vary between a number of dates until Pope Gregory altered the calendar and settled New Year’s Day as 1st of January.